Consultants called in over 'store wars' threat to port's retailers

Scarborough Council say it needs an expert eye to guide its decision-making because otherwise the battle by three High Street stores to corner the retail market in Whitby could go to the High Court.

Both Sainsbury and Tesco are eyeing up sites in the town – and plans are also in the pipeline to extend the existing Co-op by the railway station.

Yesterday Scarborough Council said that feelings were running so high that it was switching venues for the planning meetings to discuss the schemes from the town hall to Whitby.

Planners say this is "in light of the local significance and high level of natural concerns of Whitby residents about the applications".

It should also enable as many local people as possible to attend the meetings and hear first hand the discussions and reasons that lead to the decisions – amid concerns about the possibility of both supermarket chains building a store in the town.

The council's Cabinet member for regeneration, Derek Bastiman, said: "It is not possible to say at this stage that only one planning application will be granted.

"There is also a current application for an extension to the Co-op store, which will need to be taken into account."

He underlined that all applications would be considered in the light of current Government guidance and the current Development Plan.

Another guiding light in the process will be the Scarborough Borough Retail Study prepared in December 2007.

"Each application will be considered on its planning merits," Coun Bastiman added.

"It is not good planning practice to consider applications on a 'first come, first served basis' as this approach would be likely to lead to judicial review."

The council has employed a planning consultant and a retail expert to assist with the Sainsbury's application and the pending Tesco application.

This was because of an unusually high number of very complicated major applications being received by the authority and a shortage of senior staff with the experience to deal with them.

Coun Bastiman continued: "The department often has to call in the services of experts, in this case on retail impact, as such expertise would be both unnecessary and too costly to provide on a full time basis in a small borough council like ours.

"Officers need to use this expertise in making recommendations to members of the planning committee and to ensure that all areas of an application are fully explored."

This was designed to protect the authority against any accusation of not making fully balanced and informed decisions, which could then be open to judicial review, he added.

The Tesco application has not yet been submitted, but the council expects an application in the near future.

A public exhibition will display the plans for all three supermarkets, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Co-op, in a central Whitby location to enable as many local people as possible to give their comments.

The chief executive of Whitby and District Business Development Organisation, Tom Saunders, said: "Probably competition is no bad thing and would save people having to go to Scarborough or Middlesbrough to shop.

"From our point of view there is only the Co-op, Lidl, The Spar, and similar operators. Tesco, Sainsbury, or even both, in my mind would be an advantage in competition."